We hear a lot about football stateside, but what about that sport the fancy people in Europe call football, soccer? This year, NCAA soccer has been quite surprising on the west coast, with UC Davis and UC Irvine showing that they’re better than the No. 17 and No. 18 rankings they received.

According to ESPN:

It's not a shocker to see two UC's in the top 20, but who could have imagined it would be No. 17 UC Davis and No. 18 UC Irvine?

Sure, the Anteaters will probably slip after losing to UCSB, but they remain the No. 18 team until at least Tuesday. The loss certainly doesn't spell the end for Irvine, which will have its chance for redemption (teams play each other twice in the Big West) on Nov. 1. Of course, the Anteaters will have to pull off the win at Harder Stadium -- something many teams have tried and few have accomplished. The No. 22 Gauchos are 54-7-5 at home since 2002.

As for UCLA, which started the year with a No. 14 preseason ranking and dropped steadily before falling out of the polls in mid-September, things aren't so good. The Bruins are a struggling 2-3-5. Consistency from season to season has been an issue in Westwood, and the roller coaster continues.

But the Bruins aren't the only California team facing its share of problems after being tabbed as an early contender. Santa Clara, another preseason favorite -- the No. 5 pick -- has completely fallen off the map, going 2-5-2.

So looks like it’s gonna be a crap shoot this year with college soccer. Now, the question is, when are Americans gonna start caring?